UAE Mortgage Firm Tamweel Sees 11.3% Drop In Q4 Net Profit

Tamweel, the Dubai-based Islamic mortgage lender, posted a 11.3 per cent drop in fourth-quarter net profit on Tuesday, Reuters calculations show, with the company blaming a full-year decline in earnings on provisions.

Tamweel, currently the focus of a full takeover offer from majority shareholder Dubai Islamic Bank, made Dhs27.5 million ($7.5 million) in the final three months of 2012, versus a Dhs31 million profit in the corresponding period of 2011.

Reuters calculated the profit figure based on previous financial statements.

Despite the decline, the quarterly earnings beat the estimates of brokers Arqaam Capital and EFG Hermes, who forecast Dhs23 million and Dhs19 million respectively.

For the full year, Tamweel made a net profit of Dhs72.5 million in 2012, according to a bourse filing, a 28.9 per cent drop compared with Dhs101.9 million in the previous year.

“Net profit was lower in the current year due to exceptional provisions relating to certain ongoing litigations for which the company made full provision while continuing to fight its rights,” Tamweel said in a separate statement.

It did not elaborate further on the litigations.

Dubai Islamic Bank said on Jan. 3 its board had approved plans to fully acquire Tamweel, in which it already holds a majority stake of 58.2 per cent.

Each Tamweel shareholder will be offered 10 DIB shares for every 18 Tamweel shares they hold in a tender offer, which has yet to be scheduled. Once this has been completed, DIB will delist Tamweel from the Dubai Financial Market.

Shares in Tamweel, a favourite of retail investors, have dropped 1.8 per cent in 2013, having jumped around 89 per cent in 2012.